1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a microbiologically stable, heat stable and freeze-thaw tolerant universal sauce base, i.e. an edible composition, having a low pH for use in hot or cold applications. The universal sauce base comprises an oil-in-water emulsion and egg yolk treated with phospholipase A2. The universal sauce base is bland in flavor and can be seasoned to taste. It has a wide variety of uses in the food service industry, as an ingredient in retail food products and in home use. The universal sauce base will not impart sourness to foods.
2. The Prior Art
Controlling food spoilage due to microbial activity in oil-in-water emulsion products such as mayonnaise and salad dressing has been achieved in the art by controlling pH and/or water activity. Examples include synergistic combinations of acetic acid and phosphoric acid in mayonnaise or dressing formulations (U.S. Pat. No. 4,145,451); food products comprising fumaric acid and, optionally, food grade acidulent (U.S. Pat. No. 4,756,919); edible acids and buffering salts (U.S. Pat. No. 4,927,657) and restricting the content of bacterial nutrients combined with acidic ingredients (U.S. Pat. No. 3,955,010). A consequence of using organic acids in food products is sour flavor notes that can be carried into foods prepared with oil-in-water emulsion products.
Microbiological stability is particularly pertinent in the food service industry where large amounts of sauces and other ingredients subject to microbial sporage are used. Sauces and ingredients that are protected from spoilage with minimal special handling requirements are desired. An ideal ingredient for the food service industry, as well as in food manufacturing and for domestic use, is a shelf-stable product that can be opened and used over long periods of time without spoilage. Such a product, particularly one which is bland in flavor and has no or minimal sour flavor attributes, should be desired by the food service industry and the domestic cook.
There are five basic sauces conventionally used in foods, particularly in the food service industry or in prepared foods. These sauces are Espangole (brown stock based), Velouté, (light stock based), Béchamel (basic white sauce), Hollandaise sauce and mayonnaise (both emulsified sauces). Many of these sauces are subject to spoilage, examples of which are Velouté sauces which are white sauces made with a chicken, veal stock or fish fumet that may sometimes be enriched with egg yolks or cream and can be a base for other sauces, “blond” roux and Béchamel sauce, which is a basic French white sauce made by stirring milk into a butter-flour roux. Béchamel sauce, which has a limited shelf life, generally requires 30 minutes after misé en place to prepare and must be held on a steam table during service at between about 165° F. and about 180° F. for microstability purposes.
Powdered sauce mixes that are reconstituted at the time of use have been developed; however, once the powdered mixes are reconstituted, the reconstituted sauce will be subject to spoilage. Also, these reconstituted sauces have ingredients different from that of freshly prepared sauces. For example Hollandaise Sauce Mix available from DELICO Corporation, Point Claire, Quebec, Canada contains the following ingredients: skim milk powder, wheat flour, modified corn starch, monosodium glutamate, egg yolk powder, dehydrated onions, hydrolyzed plant protein, salt, vegetable oil, citric acid, locust bean gum, guar gum, disodium inosinate, disodium guanylate and spices. Freshly prepared hollandaise sauces are generally prepared from egg yolks, butter, lemon juice and spices.
Powdered sauce mixes also do not save the preparation time needed for making fresh sauces. For example, reconstitution of the hollandaise sauce from DELICO Corporation requires melting salted margarine or butter, blending in powdered sauce mix, stirring well, adding cold water, bringing the contents to a boil and then simmering for 1 minute while stirring constantly with a whisk.
Heat stability is a desired aspect of oil-in-water emulsions, as well as other types of emulsions. In addition to heat stability, emulsion texture is an important aspect of an emulsion-type food. Emulsifiers play an important role maintaining heat stability and texture for emulsions and emulsion-based food products.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,119,564 discusses the use of phospholipoprotein modified by phospholipase A in oil-in-water emulsions to provide a viscosity increasing effect. U.S. Pat. No. 5,028,447 discusses the use of phospholipoprotein material modified by phospholipase A in an emulsion containing at least one native starch-thickening agent. U.S. Pat. No. 5,082,674 describes dried food products comprising dried lyso-phospholipoprotein, made by use of phospholipase A, or compositions containing the dried lyso-phospholipoprotein.
The modified phospholipoprotein is obtained by using a phospholipase enzyme to cleave the bond binding the fatty acid radical to the glycerol part of the phospholipid. There are generally two types of phospholipid A for this purpose, phospholipase A1 which cleaves the bond in the 1-position of the phospholipoprotein molecule and phospholipase A2 which cleaves the bond in the 2-position of the phospholipoprotein molecule. U.S. Pat. No. 4,612,197 describes sauce enhancers having a pH from 5.6 to 5.8 comprising cream, egg yolk modified by phospholipase A2 and a liquid butter fat fraction.
It was an object of the invention to develop a universal sauce base having an oil-in-water emulsion that is bland in flavor and generally not sour tasting, and will not effect the natural flavor of the ingredients of the dish that it is added to or can be combined with flavorings or other savory items as a sauce for foods, such as those discussed above, and carry the flavorings and savory taste without any effect from the universal sauce base itself.
It was also an object of the invention to develop a sauce that is microbiologically stable yet bland in flavor and generally not sour tasting having long-term storage capability against spoilage or microbiological contamination with or without refrigeration and can be used in prepared food to reduce or eliminate special handling needs for microstability purposes, e.g. high temperature requirements for steam tables.
It was a further object of the invention to develop a bland sauce base that can be combined with a number of flavoring and other ingredients, including natural ingredients, that replace or reduce the need or amount for “mise en place” preparation of sauces for foods by a chef or cook during food preparation without significant, if any, addition of artificial ingredients, preservatives and ingredients not conventionally found in corresponding freshly prepared sauces.
It was yet another object of the invention to develop a universal sauce base with a heat stable emulsion.
It was another object of the invention to develop a universal sauce base with an emulsion that is freeze-thaw tolerant.
These objects and others have been achieved by the universal sauce base comprising phospholipase A2 modified egg yolk and an acidulent comprising at least inorganic acid, including at least phosphoric acid. The universal sauce base is bland in taste, has microbiological stability and has an oil-in-water emulsion that is heat stable and freeze-thaw tolerant. The universal sauce base can be designed to have no sourness, in that it has no organic acid and does not impart sour flavor attributes to foods prepared with the universal sauce base.
In the present specification, all parts and percentages are by weight/weight unless otherwise specified.